Abstract
This paper used three participatory methods- children’s drawings, photographs, and group interviews- along with a short questionnaire to explore Grade 6 pupils’ experiences and perceptions of the private tutoring (PT) they had received in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The questionnaire data suggest that 316 out of 406 (79.87%) attended PT. The qualitative data from 30 pupils reveal that the participants’ motives of having PT ranged from adult-imposed reasons (e.g. complying with parents’ wishes by studying for an elite school place) to reasons associated with achieving their ideal selves by boosting their interest in learning and imagining themselves working/studying abroad or pursuing an international career. The participants acted as proactive agents by explaining not only the PT benefits but also its disadvantages, including the unethical practices of some schoolteachers, increasing tiredness and it being a potentially unfair advantage in a competitive context. This study suggested pedagogical implications and areas for ongoing research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 369-389 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Cambridge Journal of Education |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Funding
This work was supported by the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education [064.01.00/201705 SPG]. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Professor Mark Bray at the University of Hong Kong and to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors for their insightful comments and editorial support.
Keywords
- Kazakhstan
- Private tutoring (PT)
- elite schools
- grade 6 pupils’ perceptions
- participatory methods
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education